Fly Fishing in Flordia

I'm hooked! After returning from my first saltwater fly-fishing trip, I can't think about anything else. I have been fishing most of my life, mainly in freshwater, and have become very passionate about fly fishing over the past three years. I live in Colorado, where fly fishing for trout is a way of life for many people, including myself. I have been working in my local fly shop on and off for a couple of years now, and when we are not talking about the best trout flies or the newest 5-weight rod, we are discussing our dream saltwater trips. Being newer to fly fishing at the time and not knowing anything about saltwater fly fishing, I didn’t have much to contribute. I learned, however, much about saltwater fly fishing from these discussions:  where to go for what fish, when to go, what you would need, how much it would cost, and much more. 

I knew that I had to experience one of these trips for myself. 

When most people plan their saltwater fishing trip, they often think about the kind of fish they want to target or a specific location they want to fish. I just wanted to experience saltwater fly fishing; I didn’t have a specific fish I wanted to target or a particular location I wanted to see. I had a small budget, so my best option was to go somewhere close by, not international. This was my only constraint and helped narrow down my choices. I read a book called Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die by Chris Santella and made a list of all the places that were the most intriguing to me; the list was pretty much the whole book. One of the places on my list was Florida. 

Florida stood out to me because of its variety of fish and habitats. You could go to the Keys and fish on the flats for Permit or Bonefish, and then head to the mangroves to catch Tarpon and Snook and finish the trip catching Peacock bass, a fly fisher’s dream. Another factor that made it stand out was its relatively inexpensive area and a short flight from Colorado. The fly shop where I work has multiple guides that fish in Florida regularly, and they had recommendations for locations and guide services. After talking with guides in the shop, we decided that Naples, Florida, would be the best place for us because we connected with one of the local fly shops, Mangrove Outfitters, and Naples has a variety of fishing opportunities. I was going with a couple of guys from the shop, so we chose dates that worked for everyone, which turned out to be the last week of February. 

Little did we know, this was one of the worst times to go to Florida to fish due to the cold weather and the release of water from Lake Okeechobee. Fish in Florida, like most tropical fish, like hot and clean water. In February, the water temps are around twenty degrees cooler, which causes the fish to be far less active when it comes to feeding. The best time to plan a trip to Florida for fishing would have been a month later, starting in late March and going through the summer. 

Quick tip: When planning any fishing trip, visit your local fishing shop or call a shop where you are going; they can provide helpful input and connections. 

We decided to spend four full days in Naples, Florida, and leave two days for traveling. We flew into Miami, Florida, on Friday night, February 23rd. That night, we drove across Florida from Miami to Naples, which took about two and a half hours. We rented an Airbnb for the week in the heart of Naples, with a small canal running through the backyard. Every day in the evening and through the night, we would fish this canal with very little luck. Throughout the week, we caught a baby snook, and I hooked a baby tarpon but lost it because of a lousy knot I tied –  something I will never forget. 

Our second day was our “DIY day.” We didn’t have any guided trips or plans other than trying to find our own fishing spots throughout the city of Naples. We went to numerous ponds and canals throughout the day, which we found by checking Google Maps and ONX and calling a local fishing shop for recommendations. Despite the intel, we had no luck hooking into any fish. We were told this was most likely due to the cold weather, not the spots and way we were fishing, but we really couldn’t be sure. 

After our “DIY Day,” we had three days of ¾ day-guided trips planned with Mangrove Outfitters. Each day, we woke up early in the morning and drove about 30 minutes south of Naples to a boat launch, which put us in the middle of Ten Thousand Islands, a famous fishing area in Florida. We would motor out for about thirty minutes until the guide shut off the engine and stood up on the sighting deck with their push pole at the back of the skiff. At this point, I would get myself situated on the casting deck at the front of the boat, fly line out by my feet, and fly in hand, ready to make that quick cast to a spotted fish. This is how I stood for most of the six hours for three days, which is much more exhausting than some may think. 

My first real shot at a fish came that first morning of the guided trip when we were slowly moving along in the skiff, and the guide spotted a dorsal fin of a Tarpon sticking out of the water (pictured above). He called this out to me, and I quickly spotted the large pointy fin sticking out of the calm water. My heart started racing as the guide pushed closer to the somewhat deceiving fin. Once we got within twenty feet of it, my mouth dropped. Sitting an inch below the water's surface was a massive four to five-foot, hundred-plus-pound tarpon, the first I had ever seen. The raw size of this fish blew my mind, and I still have trouble comprehending how we catch something like that on a fly rod. Going from casting to a fourteen-inch trout to casting at a four-foot monster was a huge mental adjustment; getting my heart rate to slow down and my hands to stop shaking enough to make a cast took some time. Once I was settled enough to make my first cast, my guide told me, “One foot in front and one foot past.” You want the fly to swim past their face but don’t want to drop it directly on top of them. We were less than fifteen feet from the Tarpon at this point, so making this cast was relatively simple. I landed the fly almost perfectly to where he said it should be and started to strip it back, each strip increasing my heart rate tenfold. As the fly passed the tarpon’s face, it moved its head slightly in the direction of the fly, possibly showing some interest but never committing. I got the fly back to the boat unharmed and took a couple more shots at the Tarpon before it outsmarted me and spooked off. This was the most incredible experience of the whole trip. Seeing the size of that fish and knowing that that fish was what we were targeting was enough to get me hooked on saltwater fly fishing.

After seeing that first Tarpon in the morning and taking a few shots, the rest of the day slowed down. We spent most of the day looking for more signs of Tarpon but were unsuccessful. Toward the end of the day, we took some time to go through the more shallow mangrove sections to find some Redfish or Snook. As we were moving through this shallow section past a small island of mangroves, my guide shouted, “Six o'clock!”. I turned around to see a large Redfish swimming directly toward the side of the boat near where the guide was standing. I quickly jumped into action, shot a cast about three feet before its path, and let the fly settle to the bottom. The Redfish slowly moved closer to the fly, and when it was about six inches from the fly, the guide told me to barely move it. I twitched the fly just slightly, and in less than a second, the Redfish turned its head and engulfed the fly. At this point, I was shocked; I couldn’t tell you if I had trout or strip set. All I knew was I had a redfish on, which was running. I fought the red for a few minutes before finally bringing it to the boat, where my guide grabbed the fish and got it on board. I was ecstatic! My first saltwater fish on the fly, my first Redfish, and my biggest fish on the fly (photos below). 

After this fantastic first day of casting to a massive Tarpon and catching my first Redfish, I was happier than ever and more then satisfied with the trip. Unfortunately, the next two days of guided trips didn’t go as well. We had a few more shots at Tarpon, but no takers, and we spotted one massive Snook, which we had a tough shot at but weren't successful. The colder weather and decreasing water quality made the fish less inclined to eat and were much more challenging to spot, but just being out on the water in a new environment was a fantastic experience on its own.       

Although the fishing was tough, I learned much about saltwater fly fishing and fishing in general. My biggest goal in writing this article is to share what I have learned from these experiences. I hope others can leverage my mistakes and successes to make their trips and fishing experiences more memorable. I will conclude this article with a list of everything I learned from this Florida trip in hopes that you, the reader, can use them for your fishing trips. The list is in no particular order. 

Practice Before Your Trip: You don’t want to learn how to strip set or double haul on your first saltwater fish. Practice casting with the setup you will use on the trip, and practice casting at different distances and levels of accuracy before you go on your trip. 

Every Cast Counts: This is why you do plenty of practice before going. You may only get one cast at your dream fish, so try to make every cast perfect. 

Accuracy over Distance: If I had to focus on being great at one thing when it comes to casting, it would be being able to cast highly accurately.  

Research, Research, and More Research: When finding information about fishing spots, the best flies/bait, the best time to fish, who to fish with, etc., don’t be afraid to ask local shops, people at the boat launch, and people on social media. They often have the best information and are sometimes willing to help. 

Take Care of Yourself: The last thing you want to happen on a trip is to get sick or injured. Make sure to wear the appropriate clothing and footwear for your destination, and most importantly, drink plenty of water and wear sunscreen. It can be easy not to drink water when you are fishing all day, but if you want to be able to fish for multiple days, you have to stay hydrated. 

Quick Tip: Have fun. Remember, at the end of the day, you are there to have a good time. Whether the fishing is fantastic or terrible, enjoy being outside in a new environment while enjoying your passion for fishing. But take some time to enjoy the area around you.